The Son of Comedy
by savantgarde
Summary: Based on my OC. Andrew Denison learns that he is the son of Thalia, Muse of comedy. Then the adventure begins
1. Intro

**The Son of Comedy**

Hello dear readers, my name is Andrew George Denison. Now I'm sure you're all familiar with my fellow camper Percy Jackson and his posse. But I find that his accounts lack a very important thing, me. Now I'm not saying that I was the only reason Kronos was vanquished. Actually nobody says that, because I wasn't. Although I was there…Sorry I'm getting off topic. I thought people might like to read about the exploits of myself and some other campers.

First, a description of myself. I'm the son of Michael Denison, a literature professor at Chicago University. I had never known my mother. My dad didn't like to talk about her. All he ever told me was that she left soon after I was born. She must have really made an impression on him because he hasn't had a serious relationship since. Every May she'd send me tickets to see the biggest acts in town for my birthday. My mom may have been an absent deadbeat, but she had great taste in entertainment.

I was, and still am, an average looking guy. Dirty blond hair, pale skin. A tad bit heavy, though I wouldn't call myself fat. I mean for an American I'm in fantastic shape. And a little on the short side. I was just another kid. Nobody would ever even know I existed if I didn't speak up now and again. The only ways I could get any attention was performing in school plays or telling jokes at talent shows. Then I was a star. Other than that, I was living a quiet, boring existence in Chicago. Then I learned about my heritage and everything changed. It all began one wintry afternoon.

"And so ends another exciting day of school" I sighed as I stepped outside. It was December Fifteenth, the last day of my freshmen year before winter break. I said a prayer, just like every other day, asking for something interesting to happen. Anything that might get me out of this dull as dirt life. I mean, there were a bunch of strange people who seemed to be circling the building. But that was hardly exciting. So I adjusted my backpack and headed out to the sidewalk.

"Have a nice break, Andrew!" my math teacher, Mr. Roots called out. He was a short, chubby man with a long beard and a really bad toupee. A lot of kids teased him about his bad rug, including me. One of my best lines was how it would look more convincing if he just combed his beard over his head. Thankfully, he's a good sport about it.

I turned around to wish him the same, when I was suddenly bathed in light. I look up and see the strangest thing. An old fashioned Greek comedy mask is floating over my head. Stranger yet, nobody else seemed to notice this oddity, except Roots. He dashes over and grabs me by the shoulder.

"Whoa!" I yelped. "Wanna explain what's going on?"

"Unfortunately , you were just claimed by your Olympian parent at the worst possible time." Mr. Roots said anxiously.

"Olympi-…you mean I'm half god?" I was naturally awe-struck. "So whose kid am I?"

"Judging by the mask, I'd say Thalia, the muse of comedy." Roots said, growing more agitated by the second.

"Comedy?" and the confusion kept on coming, "you actually think the goddess of comedy was somehow attracted to my dad, the lord of boredom?" I should probably elaborate. Imagine the monotone personality of Ben Stein multiplied by ten. Then throw in the thrill of watching paint dry and you have my dad. Yet he wonders why his lectures are poorly attended.

"We'll go into the details of your birth later" Mr. Roots snapped, "You're mom just alerted all the monsters nearby of your location. Why couldn't she wait until we got to camp?" I was about to ask what he was talking about when I saw one of the people who had been circling the school. He was at least ten feet tall, and had muscles that made every action hero look like a nerdy runt.

"How did I not see that before?"

"The mist, it helps monsters like the Laistrygonians hide among mortals. They must have been struggling to find your scent. The son of a muse wouldn't have as strong a scent as kids of the major deities. It explains why I couldn't find you for so long."

"You're a…" before I could finish that thought, the giant was right in front of me.

"Demigod" it growled, "finally I can eat."

"Oh you don't want me" I responded, "I'm barely a demigod at all. I might as well be a gross old mortal. I'm told I taste like brussel sprouts and dirt" Thank the gods for my improv skills. The giant actually bought it.

"maybe you're right. But I could still eat the goat man"

"Goat man?" it took a moment for me to realize he meant Mr. Roots. "Oh you don't want him. Just look at him, he's small and nothing but gristle. But if you let us go you can have his big brother. He's right inside, and a much better meal. Plus he's a fighter, and you look like someone who likes to play with his food. Am I right?"

The giant thought about it. Then gave a small nod. I grabbed Mr. Roots and ran like there was no tomorrow.

"Did you actually just convince a Laistrygonian to let us go by plagiarizing the Billy Goats Gruff?" Mr. Roots asked.

"Hey it worked, didn't it?" I smirked. "Besides you've fallen for my stories lots of times."

"You mean a dog didn't eat your homework?" Roots thought for a moment then said, "Well, your mother is a goddess of theatre and stories, I suppose it's only natural you would be blessed with a silver tongue."

"Cool" I said, "now how about you expand on that whole 'my mom is a Greek goddess' thing"

"We'll talk more on our way to Camp Half-blood in New York." Roots said, pulling something out of his coat pocket.

"New York? Um, how are we gonna get there? I can't exactly spring for a plane ticket"

"Don't worry" Roots blew the whistle he had pulled out "I've got it covered" Almost instantly, a chariot pulled by two winged mechanical horses pulled up in front of us. Suddenly, everything clicked in my head. My prayers had been answered.

"Thanks mom" I whispered. "Shotgun!"


	2. Arriving at Camp

On the way to camp Mr. Roots explained all about the gods and their children. As you may have guessed, Roots was a satyr. Now I know why he wore that god-awful hair piece. He had to cover his horns. He had been trying to locate me all semester. I kept asking question after question. I couldn't get enough. By the time we arrived at camp, I felt fully prepared. I wasn't even shocked when a freaking centaur trotted out to greet me.

"Welcome Andrew," he said with open arms. "I am Chiron, the camp activities director. You're father has been alerted to what has happened and says you may stay here as long as necessary."

"You mean my dad knew who and what my mom was, and never told me?" I was kind of hurt. How could he hold out on me?

"Don't be upset with him." Chiron encouraged. "It was not his place to tell you. Only the godly parent may decide to claim their children." He had a guy named Luke give me a tour. He seemed really enthusiastic. But I got the sense that he had some resentment towards the camp. I can't really explain it, but I've always had a knack for seeing things others miss. I think it's because people rarely pay much attention to me. That way I can more thoroughly assess them. So it didn't really shock me when I learned Luke had gone bad. But that was still about six months in the future. I also met everyone's favorite daughter of Athena, Annabeth Chase. Even then, she was tough as nails, wouldn't laugh at any of my jokes.

"Shouldn't a son of comedy be able to make anybody laugh?" I asked Luke as we left Annabeth to her training. He just shrugged.

"Our parents' gifts can come in many forms" he said, "You still have a gift for storytelling. But what good would it be to just have people laughing at you all the time?"

"It helped at the end of Die Hard" I pointed out. But after further thought I decided he was right. As we passed cabin nine someone shouted "Heads up!" A huge piece of metal came flying at my head. I dodged it as easily as Keanu Reeves in the Matrix. It became embedded in the tree behind me

"Well" Luke said, clearly impressed, "I guess you have good reflexes"

"Of course" I replied, "In comedy, timing is everything"

"Jeez I am SO sorry" A girl came running out of the cabin. She was an inch or two taller than me. She had dark brown hair and stunning green eyes.

"N-no problem" I stammered, "No harm done"

She smiled then stuck out her hand, "I'm Michelle Smithers, daughter of Hephaestus"

"Andrew Denison, son of Thalia" I said, snapping out of my shellshock. "Wait, so you're a child of Hephaestus named SMITH-ers"

She giggled, man what a beautiful sound. "Yeah, pretty silly huh?" "Silly enough that I, the son of comedy, insist on hanging out with you."

"You sure?" she asked, still smiling, "I'm not the best smith in my cabin, I might try to kill you again."

"Ah, I have that effect on a lot people" I shrugged. "They can only put up with my jokes for so long." Just then Luke gave a loud cough.

" We should probably continue the tour"

"Er.. Right nice meeting you Michelle. Maybe I'll see you later" I said as I hurried off after Luke.

"Wow, first day of camp and already got a girlfriend" Luke teased.

"She is not my girlfriend. She's a friend and a girl and…Yeah its awesome!" What can I say? Any girls at school that ever noticed me typically tried to avoid me. Michelle actually talked to me. That is a massive improvement. As we passed the Aphrodite cabin, cabin 10, I noticed a girl just glaring at me. She was very pretty, maybe a year older than me, with bleach blond hair. "Um, What's up with her?" I asked Luke.

"Oh that's Nikki Lafayette, she's not really fond of your mom"

"Why?"

"Well she and a bunch of other campers went on a field trip to Olympus for the Summer solstice. Thalia had prepared this big show where she kind of roasts all the major gods. She was especially nasty to Aphrodite. It was all in good fun and even Aphrodite thought it was hilarious. But for some reason, Nikki took it personally."

"Great…sins of the mother shall get the son's butt kicked" I muttered.

"Ah don't worry about it. I'm sure she'll cool off eventually" Luke didn't exactly sound certain about that. "Anyway, here's Hermes cabin. This is where all the kids of minor gods and undetermined stay as well as the children of Hermes. So its pretty crowded."

"It's cool I don't take up much space." the truth is, I was so excited about where I was, I'd have been fine just sleeping in a cardboard box. I found an open spot and dropped my backpack beside it.


	3. Getting settled

Over the next few days I got settled into the rhythm of Camp Half Blood. I met Dionysus, I mean Mr. D, and I think I actually made a good impression on him. I guess all he needed was a good laugh. He still scowled at me like he did to all the other campers. But I could tell he despised me less than them. Michelle took over tour duties from Luke, which I was totally fine with. In the mornings we had ancient Greek lessons. Admittedly not the most exciting class. Apparently most half-bloods were dyslexic because their brains are designed for Greek letters. Personally I had never had that problem. In fact I find it very easy to learn any alphabet. Probably another perk of being a storyteller's child. Fiction is a universal language. Ancient Greek was no different, but still boring. Then in the afternoons, Michelle would take me down to the arena to learn some combat skills. I learned a lot, like that I'm a lousy shot with a bow and that Clarisse from Ares cabin packs a mean punch. We'd finish the combat training with some sword techniques. Michelle tried to give me some pointers. Unfortunately, all the swords there felt heavy and awkward in my hands. Nikki Lafayette had a fun time watching as Clarisse and various other campers took turns beating me.

Finally, on Friday Michelle dragged me down to the Hephaestus Cabin's forge. Two of her cabin mates were busy at work down there. I have to say, looking at them, it's hard to believe they were related to Michelle. The other Hephaestus children looked big and rough, probably like their father. Michelle must take after her mother. She insisted that I let her help pick out the right sword for me.

"Everybody in camp needs one to call their own." She insisted. "The right weapon can make a world of difference in a fight. Plus, you never know when you might need to fight off a monster." I thought for a minute, then it hit me. I'd always been interested in fencing. Watching old Errol Flynn movies, or Sulu in that episode of Star Trek, I just thought it looked so cool. I'd even taken a few classes at the youth center. I said as much to Michelle, and she led me over to a row of swords. There were blades like a pirate's cutlass, epees, cavalry sabers. All appropriate fencing swords made from celestial bronze.

"not exactly standard issue for a Greek warrior, but I like to diversify." Michelle explained. "See anything you like?" I picked up one after the other, testing the weight and feel. None seemed like a good match for me. Then one caught my eye. It was a cavalry saber, with a long, double-edged blade and a wide guard that went over the knuckles. The guard had some strange marks on it, imperfections or something. These marks actually looked like a crudely drawn smiley face. _I'm the son of the comedy muse_,I thought, _might as well advertise it_.

"What are you going to call it?" Michelle asked, making me jump. I was practically hypnotized by this sword. "Every good blade deserves a name." I thought for a moment, then just shrugged. "Well," Michelle said, "I suppose the name can wait until later."

"Careful newbie" another Hephaestus kid called out. "That's one of Michelle's 'masterpieces' It might blow up if you're not careful." He and the other smith burst into laughter. I looked over at Michelle. She seemed hurt, but it was an old hurt. As though she'd dealt with this before and was getting used to it.

"Like I told you before" She said, turning away to compose herself. "I'm not the best smith here."

"Hey, it's alright." I assured her. "The sword looks awesome. Besides if it did explode, that would be pretty helpful in a fight." This got another glorious laugh out of her.

"I guess we'll find out." she said, now wearing a big smile. "It's almost time for dinner. Then after that is capture the flag. Come on, let's get ready."


	4. Capture the Flag

The teams were Hermes, Dionysus, Athena, and Hephaestus on one side. Aphrodite, Ares, Apollo, and Demeter on the other. I felt kind of silly in that Greek armor, especially since it clashed with my new saber.

"Alright listen up," Luke called, "Dionysus and Hephaestus will work defense. Hermes and Athena have offense." I wasn't exactly thrilled about this plan. I've never been big on offense. I mean, I've offended plenty of people, but verbally rather than physically. Basically any time I tried to stand up to some one, my big mouth got me punched. Now I was expected to trade blows with people holding lethal weapons. What could possibly go wrong? I started darting from tree to tree. Luckily my teammates had the opponents pretty well distracted. Like I said, people often don't notice me. I guess I don't look like much of a threat. I started just strolling through the forest. After a while I could see the enemy flag in the distance. I started to make my way towards it. Suddenly a knife came flying at me. Once again, my Keanu reflexes saved me. I look to my right and, naturally, Nikki Lafayette is glaring at me.

"Hey!" I shouted at her "Wouldn't a knife to the head violate that no maiming rule?"

"Don't be such a wuss" she replied. "It would have just knocked against your helmet. Besides, I have some business to settle with you. Now that we're alone."

"Well stop at the front desk and make an appointment" I said, inching towards the flag. "Because I'm a little preoccupied at the moment."

"No, I think now is the perfect time" Now Nikki drew her sword. Unlike mine, her sword looked like something a Greek warrior would have. It had a blade about as long as my saber, and twice as wide. "you're mother made mine look like a vain, arrogant jerk" She prepared to strike. "Mom put on a brave face, but I just know she was heartbroken." In a flash the sword came at me. I barely had time to parry it with my saber. The blow sent tremors up my arm. Her sword was heavier and designed to deal stronger blows than mine. I quickly realized that I would have to adjust the fencing moves I knew in order to win.

"Somehow I don't think that's the whole story" I said, backing up several feet. "I mean, how could a goddess be so hurt by a couple jokes? You know what I think?" I made a dash for the flag, but Nikki blocked me. "I think you're projecting your own insecurities on your mom. Maybe you thought Thalia was describing you more than her." Apparently, psychology does not agree with some people. Because this made Nikki charge at me. You wouldn't expect such ferocity from a child of Aphrodite. I might as well have been fighting one of Ares' kids. She kept hacking, slashing and stabbing at me. I managed to dodge and block every blow. Despite the life or death situation, I couldn't help but laugh. Finally, I was getting some excitement, and it just might kill me. As I laughed, I suddenly started feeling stronger. I guess another one of my abilities is being the opposite of the Incredible Hulk. _You wouldn't like me when I'm happy. _This thought brought on a fresh wave of giggles. Unfortunately, that energy boost wasn't much use. It seems that Nikki thought I was laughing at her, and started attacking with even more power. I still matched her blow for blow, but it was starting to take its toll on me. It was time for a new strategy. "Hey, your flag's gone." Nikki whipped her head around to see the flag still in place. But this gave me a chance to go cobra kai on her and sweep the leg. She went down, her sword went flying, and I went for the flag. I grabbed it and ran like hell back across the creek.

"Way to go, Andy!" Luke shouted, patting me on the back. Michelle ran up and practically knocked me over to hug me.

"Looks like you chose the right sword." She said, blushing as she let me go.

"Y-yeah I guess so" I panted. Like I said, I was a little out of shape. This was the most exercise I'd had in a while. I then looked back across the stream at Nikki. Boy, if looks could kill. Well I mean, aside from a gorgon's looks. I would be dead as a doornail.


	5. I dreamed a dream

That night I tossed and turned for a while before I gave up on sleeping. I was still too sore, and too energized, from the game. I stepped outside to get some fresh air. I stayed right by the door. I had heard that the harpies would eat anyone out after curfew. I had my doubts about that, but better safe than sorry. I pulled out my still unnamed saber and just admired it for a minute. Suddenly there was a high pitched scream coming from the Aphrodite cabin. I immediately forgot about the harpies and ran next door. I burst in, sword in hand, to find two Aphrodite girls trying to control Nikki.

"Please no! In trouble! She needs me!" Nikki was yelling. Everyone else in the cabin was looking at her, worried.

"Jeez," I said, sheathing my sword. Most of the cabin jumped ten feet in the air. Once again I had gone unnoticed. "All that noise for a nightmare? I thought someone was being murdered in here."

"It wasn't a nightmare!" Nikki shouted giving me that all too familiar look. "It was a vision. My sister is in trouble." I looked around the room, hoping for some clarification. Then one of the girls comforting Nikki, Silena Beauregard, spoke up.

"Demigods are always getting visions in their dreams." This was news to me. I mean I had never had any sort of psychic experience. Well, except for a few times when I used a dream I had to come up with one of my ridiculously convincing excuses. I always thought I was being creative. Guess my mom was looking out for me.

"So…What? Somebody's missing from the cabin?"

"No you idiot!" Nikki shouted at me. "My mortal sister, or half-sister I guess. She's only eight years old. How could anything want to hurt her?" tears were forming in her eyes. Now things were awkward. I've never been comfortable around crying people. I just don't know how to handle the situation. Guess it makes sense, since my mom's expertise is humor. There's not a lot of crying in comedy. I didn't know whether to go and comfort her or just back off. Before I could decide, Chiron walked in.

"What is going on here?" he asked, looking first at me then everyone else. Silena explained the situation, as Nikki began to sob. When she finished. Chiron trotted over and put a hand on Nikki's shoulder. "I'm sorry Nikki, but I think you need to pull yourself together and come with me to the big house." Nikki sniffled, then nodded and followed Chiron out.

"So what's at the big house?" I asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"The oracle," Silena answered. "She's going to hear the prophecy for her quest."

I reluctantly returned to Hermes Cabin. Silena wasn't in the mood to elaborate about this quest and oracle thing. I laid down on my mat and, against all odds, fell asleep. Then I had one of those visions I'd heard so much about.

I was in a cavern. I could hear the tide somewhere nearby. Laying on the cavern floor was a little girl. She was covered in grime, yet I could see the family resemblance. This was Nikki's sister. She seemed to be asleep. For her sake I hoped she stayed that way. Suddenly I heard voices. I started looking for a place to hide, then I remembered this was a dream.

"Can't I just kill her?" one big gravelly voice asked.

"No my sweet." a second, feminine voice replied. "she is mine to drink. Besides, the one that you truly want will come, you can have her."

"When?" the first voice whined.

"Soon my love. Soon. The beast will bring her to us the moment she's in range." I woke up in a cold sweat. Why was I having visions of Nikki's problems?


	6. The Quest

The following morning, Chiron asked Luke to meet him at the big house. He also called Beckendorf from Hephaestus cabin. After half an hour or so, he called the other campers from our two cabins out. He had Nikki standing next to him.

"Last night, Nikki accepted a quest and went to the oracle. I know I said that there would be no more quests. But this is a special situation." _Obviously_, I thought. It's not like Chiron could stop Nikki from trying to protect her family. "However" Chiron continued. "I would have everyone here promise to keep this quiet. As far as the rest of camp is concerned quests are still a thing of the past. Nikki will be allowed two companions to join her." He turned to her and gently asked, "Would you please repeat what you told me last night. Nikki stepped forward, and she looked terrified. I was afraid to hear what the prophecy said. Thinking it would be horrible.

"_Southward, the daughter of love shall go. _

_With children of the nine and smith in tow. _

_She will be the force that drives them where she can't yet reach. _

_Until the lost friend escapes the secluded beach. _

_New heights they will achieve and bridges they'll mend. _

_Then the girl may be saved once a fool meets a gruesome end." _

Yep, it certainly didn't sound good for me. I mean, who else could the fool in question be? But after seeing Nikki last night, so vulnerable and scared, I knew I'd have to take that chance.

"Well I guess I'm coming with you." I sighed, stepping forward.

"What? No Way!" Nikki shouted, returning to her hateful self.

"The prophecy said a child of the nine. As in the nine muses. It also said fool. So unless my mom or one of the other eight wants to claim a kid right now…" I waited, half hoping one of the undetermined from Hermes cabin would have something over their heads. No such luck. "It looks like you're stuck with me. After all, only a fool would be willing to put up with your attitude. You can't fight destiny." Nikki was clearly trying to think of some reason for me not to come. But when she realized my logic was sound she relented with a nod.

"I'm coming too!" Michelle called out, pushing her way through the crowd. "The prophecy also said a child of the Smith. I'm guessing that's why you called our cabin out." _Thank the gods_, I thought. She and Nikki were friendly enough with each other. I figured Michelle would be able to keep her and me from killing each other. I looked over at Nikki and she looked grateful that Michelle had volunteered. "Just give me a day to pack some supplies."

Chiron nodded and Michelle ran back to her cabin. He then turned to me and Nikki, saying "You'd best go pack as well. We have no idea what trials await you."

"Gee, great pep talk coach." I rolled my eyes. "And for the record we DO know that I'm going to meet a gruesome end. We're not flying completely blind.

"Don't fret, Andrew" Chiron said, smiling. "Prophecies are very tricky things. They don't tell you everything. There may be another way to interpret it."

"Good to know." I said, giving him a thumbs up. "Now excuse me while I pack. Then I'll eat, drink, and be merry before we head to my doom." Nikki just stormed off to her cabin. Obviously she wasn't going to make this trip easy for me.

Unfortunately, I didn't have anything to pack. All I had brought with me to camp was my backpack, which had nothing but school things. Somehow I doubt my math book would be any more use on a quest than in anything else in life. I just had that and my new sword. Then Luke came over.

"If you're going on a quest, you'll need this." He held up a good sized wad of money. I stared at it for a moment. "Hermes is the god of thieves." Luke explained. "naturally we all have sticky fingers. I can give you a few pointers in case you need more." He also handed me some nectar. He swore that it would come in handy if I got hurt. Then he pulled out a small leather bag and tossed it to me. I opened it to find a collection of gold coins. "Drachmas," Luke filled me in on how they were the official currency of the gods. I thanked him and my other cabin mates, and put the supplies in my pack. I spent the rest of the day in the arena, hoping some training would make a difference. Luke showed up later to give me those thief tips he promised.

Despite the dread of what the morning would bring. I got some sleep that night. Granted, it wasn't a peaceful sleep. When morning came I grabbed my pack and met Michelle and Nikki over by the camp entrance. Nikki seemed to have packed light, like me. However Michelle had a huge bag with dozens of pockets. It jingled with every move she made.

"You never know what I might need to build" She reasoned, seeing my quizzical look.

"Whatever you say, Macgyver" I shrugged. We were all sweating in our winter coats. After almost a week in the camp, it was going to be weird going back into the elements. With the camp's weather enchantments, It was easy to forget that it was winter. Argus, the security chief, was waiting with the car. He was going to take us into the city. But after that we were on our own.

"So do we have any idea where we go?" I asked "Or are we just gonna stick with 'south'?"

"Miami, near the Sea of Monsters" Nikki explained to me how, as the name implies, monsters of all sorts love to hang out there. "My parents and sister were on vacation there." She started to tear up again. "I told them to go without me, because I'd be bound to attract trouble. But my sister…She gets a lot of my old clothes. My scent must have still been strong enough for the monsters to follow." As much as we disliked each other, I hated to see her like this.

"Hey don't worry" I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get her back, I promise." After a moment's thought I added "I mean, you're much more fun when you're trying to kill me. So we have to save her to get you back to normal." I'm not positive, but I think I saw a smile flicker across her face. But then she toughened up.

"Right," she said, wiping her eyes and shrugging off my hand. "okay let's get going."

After Argus drove away, Nikki turned to me and Michelle. "Okay, so obviously the fastest way to Miami is by plane. So-" "Um…could we not." Michelle interrupted. Some color seemed to have gone out her face at the mention of airplanes. "I have a huge problem with heights."

"makes sense." I chimed in. "Seeing as your dad had a bad experience falling off a mountain."

"Fine" Nikki groaned, exasperated, "The train, then." we headed to the train station. We lucked out, the money Luke gave me was just enough for three tickets to Miami. Granted, we would have four layovers, but we'd still get there. "I can't believe you have to be part of my quest!" Nikki whined once we found some available seats.

"Hey, look on the bright side," I replied. "By the end of it, I'm supposed to be dead."

"Don't say that!" Michelle scolded me. "Like Chiron said, there's probably some other explanation. Nobody's dying on this quest." That last part was more of an order than reassurance.

"Well if you are the fool in the prophecy" Nikki continued with her rant. "Then just be sure you know your place. Don't think that just because you beat me in a game that you're some action star."

"Why not"

"You're the story teller. What does the fool normally do?"

"Well, in all the classic stories the fool is just a patsy, comic relief for the audience." I said with a sigh.

"Exactly," Nikki said triumphantly. "You're not going to be a hero. The only action you'll be seeing is when we save your sorry behind. So just stay out of my way."

"Well," I said to Michelle, "It's nice to feel appreciated"


	7. Griffins and Goddesses

Our first layover was in Philadelphia. Nikki gave me the stink eye throughout most of the trip. Michelle didn't exactly provide me with much support. She was too busy tinkering with something from her bag. I couldn't get off that train fast enough. Unfortunately, the next train wasn't for an hour. So that meant more of Nikki's lovely brand of bile. Finally, I'd had my fill of it and stepped out for some air.

I wasn't outside more than thirty seconds when I heard somebody say "What is that?". I looked over, and some woman was staring, fascinated, up at the sky. I followed her gaze. Swooping down toward the station were five gigantic eagles. As they got closer, I saw that wasn't completely accurate. From the front they looked like eagles. But they had the hindquarters of lions. Griffins! I couldn't believe it. I was seeing real live griffins. That's Awesome! However, it wasn't so awesome when I realized they were aiming for me. I reached for my saber, but the lead griffin had me pinned before I could draw it. The lady I saw before ran inside. She was batting at her head like she thought the griffins might get in her hair. It took every once of strength I had to keep the thing from ripping me to pieces. All of the sudden, I heard a whooshing noise., followed by a dull thump. The griffin turned to gold dust, and a small knife clattered to the ground. I looked up to see Nikki, already unsheathing another knife.

"Um thanks" I said, feeling conflicted about being saved by my rival. "Talk later!" Michelle yelled, dragging me to my feet. "We have four more to deal with!" She twisted a ring on her right hand, and a spear seemed to materialize out of it. The spear's head looked strangely familiar.

"I see you got the bugs worked out" I commented, recognizing the head as the piece of shrapnel that led to our first meeting. Michelle just smiled, looking proud of herself. Then a pained shriek got our minds back into the fight. Nikki had nailed one griffin in the wing with another throwing knife. It went into a tailspin until hitting the ground in a mushroom cloud of gold dust. And then there were three. Unfortunately they seemed to be learning from their friends mistakes. They stayed high above the reach of my sword and Michelle's spear. They also seemed to be flying in a zigzag pattern so Nikki couldn't get a good shot. Then, all three dived at us. We had to scatter. One knocked Nikki aside, tossing her knives all over. She quickly recovered and drew her sword. Another miscalculated, and wound up skewering itself on Michelle's spear. Lucky me, the largest one decided I looked tastiest. I slashed with my sword. But the griffin pulled up, dodging it. I could see Nikki was struggling with hers as well. Then Michelle hurled her spear at it, catching the beast in the eye. Her spear then seemed to fly back to her hand. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to have a thin tether connected to her ring. She was about to throw it again when suddenly, my griffin was filled with arrows. It's ashes blew away in the wind. "What the?" Two silver chariots, being pulled by reindeer, came out of the sky and landed in front of us. A girl, no older than twelve, stepped of the first.

"Thank you for the assistance half-bloods" she said "We'd been hunting this flock for some time." I was about to ask who she was, when I noticed Nikki and Michelle were kneeling. Then it hit me. Silver chariot, deer, arrows, hunting…

"Err. Um. No thanks is necessary Lady Artemis" I stammered, bowing. "Certainly we would have fallen if not for your excellent timing."

"My, so respectful, for a boy." Artemis smiled. Somehow I had an idea what my mom must have said about her at the roast.

"No offense Lady, but your gender's conscience isn't exactly clear. I mean there's Elizabeth Bathory, Eva Braun, my sadistic third grade teacher."

"How dare you speak to Artemis that way!" A girl shouted, stepping forth from her chariot.

"Peace, Zoe" Artemis said "I had that coming, I should know better than try to insult a child of Thalia." "How'd you know I was hers?"

"You have her smile" Artemis said, matter-of-factly. "Now I wonder if you might be able to help us with another problem."

"Okay" I said.

"No" Nikki said at the same time.

"Oh right," I'd actually almost forgotten our quest in all the excitement. "Well maybe we can help after our current objective." I looked at Nikki for permission. She nodded.

"We are looking for my hound, Laelaps" Artemis explained. "He is destined to always catch his prey. Unfortunately, he has not returned for nearly two weeks. If you should see him, please contact me." "As you wish, Lady Artemis." I said, giving her a salute. Artemis gave me a nod and then returned to her chariot.

"Good luck on your journey" she said, and then left with her hunters.

"Great, another quest." Michelle muttered.

"Don't worry" I said. "We don't have to go searching for her dog. We'll just let her know if it happens by." "Right," Nikki said, retrieving her knives. "Because our top priority is finding Sarah."

"Who? Oh your sister." I think Nikki was starting to regret saving me.

All that excitement almost made us miss our train. We got on just in time. "Man, you'd think cops or reporters, or somebody would have bugged us about what just happened." I commented as I sat down.

"They wouldn't have seen anything" Nikki said, looking at me like I was an idiot. "normal mortals can't see through the mist."

"Well that one woman saw something" I shot back. I was a little more hostile than I should have been. I kept thinking about what Nikki had said about being the fool. She was right, I didn't do anything but get saved. It was really aggravating.

"Yes, but she obviously didn't see five griffins fighting three heavily armed teenagers." Michelle clarified. "If I had to guess, she probably saw an angry flock of geese being swatted away by a few kids with sticks." She twisted her ring again, and held the spearhead in front of me. "Celestial bronze gives off mist too. That's one reason why we make our weapons from it. They're easier to carry around that way. The mist keeps mortals in the dark about gods and monsters. We can even influence it to some degree." Man! Is there an instruction manual for this life?

"That thing sure came in handy." I said, admiring Michelle's spear.

"Yeah, for once one of my inventions wasn't a complete failure." Michelle sighed, retracting it back into the ring.

"Why are you so hard on yourself?" Michelle was quiet for a moment.

"I left home about a year ago. Hephaestus had claimed me the year before. Although I had always shown signs I was his kid anyway. I was always tinkering with appliances and electronics around the house. I just kept getting the urge to build and create. The thing is, everything I built caused all sorts of problems. First I moved a few wires around and we lost power for a month. Then I built a rapid firing crossbow and put a bunch of holes in our walls. The last straw was when I set the house on fire. My step dad was furious. So rather than risk my family's safety again I went to camp. I thought being around other Hephaestus kids might help me improve. Instead, I think I've actually gotten worse."

"From what I saw of your cabin mates. I'd say they aren't exactly keen on helping you." I suggested. "And it sounds like you're stressing over past mistakes and letting them define you. Maybe all you need is to stop worrying about what might go wrong. Just focus on what you want your gadgets to do and make it happen."

"Easier said than done"

"Actually it is easy." I said. "It's not much different from when I come up with new jokes. I don't worry about bombing onstage. I just imagine a success."

"That's all there is to it?" Michelle asked.

"Well, I also imagine the audience in their underwear. But I don't think that would you very much." This cheered her up.


	8. The Museum gets less boring

After two hours, we got off in Washington DC. Our next train wouldn't depart for another few hours, so I suggested some sightseeing. The girls were reluctant, but I was persistent.

"Come on," I urged, "like 99% of all comedy comes from this city. I don't want to pass up such a great opportunity to get new material."

"All right" Michelle said, smiling and shaking her head. "I guess it couldn't hurt" Famous last words.

We went over to the National Mall. We got the obligatory pics, Washington monument, Lincoln memorial, etc. Then we made our way over to the Smithsonian. Nikki suggested that we split up and meet back at the Reflecting Pool later. She wanted to check out the National Gallery of Art. Michelle, as a child of Hephaestus, was eager to see all the gadgets in the Air and Space museum. As for me, I was dying to see Archie Bunker's chair in the American History museum. Yeah I know what you're thinking. The greatest museum in the country and I go to look at some TV prop piece? Just call me meathead.

After I got my fill of Americana, I headed back to our planned meeting point. Nikki and Michelle were nowhere to be found. I checked my watch and got concerned. It was 4:30 Our train was going to leave in just over half an hour. Where were they? I reached into my bag and pulled out a gold drachma and a glass prism. Michelle had given one to me and Nikki. She said that they would help us keep in touch through Iris messaging. I admit, despite everything that had happened to me lately, the idea of rainbow communication seemed kind of ridiculous. None the less, I held up the prism so it caught the light in such a way it refracted. Then I tossed the Drachma.

"Goddess, accept my offering." the coin hovered inside the rainbow, then disappeared. "Whoa…Um Michelle Smithers, Washington DC, Air and Space museum." A projection materialized of the inside of the museum. It just sort of panned around, then went blank.

"Invalid request." a voice inside the rainbow said. "Please try again." Michelle didn't seem to be there.

"Okay that's strange. How about Nikki Lafayette, National Gallery of Art." The image changed, but came up with the same results. Now my personal terror level upgraded from concern to panic. Something was definitely wrong here. Maybe if I left out the location. I tried one more time with the Iris message. "Just locate Michelle and Nikki!" The rainbow searched for a moment, then brought up a rather disturbing image. Michelle and Nikki were in some poorly lit room, bound and gagged. They both started mumbling when they saw me. Straining against their bonds and trying to form some intelligible words. After the initial shock wore off, I scanned the image, looking for some clue where they were. But the room they were in was bare. Michelle understood what I was doing, and tried to speak again.

"Min da nachul hisdry bildig" She muttered, "se-ket door" It took me a minute before I could properly decipher that.

"A secret door in the Natural History Museum?" Michelle nodded excitedly. "Okay, I'm on my way. Just stay there." yes I know, like they any choice but to stay there. Give me a break, I was under a lot of stress. I ran as fast as I could, my sword drawn. Luckily, the mist would keep any passersby from seeing it. That would have been hard to explain. I ran into the building, to the back of the museum. I searched frantically for some sort of trigger. A loose brick, a candelabra, or anything that might open a secret passageway.

"Help!" it sounded like it was just on the other side of the wall.

"Nikki" I called out. She must have worked her gag off "is that you? I'm here but I don't know how to get to you."

"In the janitor's closet," Nikki yelled back. "There's a trap door." I looked to my left. Sure enough there was a closet. I made sure nobody was around then slipped inside. It was actually much larger than I expected. After moving a few mops out of the way I discovered the trapdoor hidden underneath. "Please hurry, we need you!" Nikki sounded really scared. In fact it sounded like she really, REALLY wanted me to get to her. I mean, sure I might be the only one that could help her and Michelle. But as I recall, she still wasn't very fond of me, and would have probably preferred to rescue herself rather than have the fool save the day. Something just felt wrong. I slowly approached the door. Then, at arms length, I grabbed the handle and pulled it open. Nothing jumped out at me, so far so good. I peeked over the entrance. There was a ladder leading down. There was also a little light. So I could see the tunnel about twelve feet down.

"Well," I muttered to myself. "Here goes nothing" I climbed down, but lost my footing and slipped off the ladder. I landed flat on my butt. "Great time for a pratfall, mom" I cursed. It turns out it was a good time, because the sight of my fall made something in the tunnel laugh. Getting up, I tried calling out to Nikki and Michelle. "You guys hear?"

"Yeah," Nikki called out.

"Just follow the tunnel" Michelle chimed in. "and you'll find us." Now I couldn't be sure with the echo of the tunnel, but I could swear that their voices were coming from the same place as that laugh.

"Hey," I called out, "Do me a favor, could you both talk at the same time"

"Um…why?" Nikki asked, a little concern had crept into her voice.

"Just humor me." I said, feeling more certain as to what I was talking to. For a minute there was silence. Then I shouted out, "Nice try cyclops, but I've heard how you can mimic voices. Guess I was right to think you can only do one at a time."

"Cyclops!" my own voice called out from the dark. "You think they're the only ones who know that trick?" Then something like a large dog came bounding down the tunnel. I managed move out of the way, causing it to crash into the wall. As it lay there stunned, I got a better look at it. What I first thought was a large dog was, in fact, some kind of mutant hyena. Its lips were curled back in a vicious snarl. The weird thing was that it didn't exactly have teeth. Instead it just had rows of bony ridges across its mouth. Imagine the teeth on a monkey wrench, how they interlock. That's what this creature had Suddenly, it began to transform before my eyes, turning into a large human in fur clothing.

"What on earth are you?" I yelled. The thing gave me a wicked smile. Its dental set-up gave the appearance it was wearing an athlete's mouth guard.

"I'm what's known as a crocotta." it said, still in my voice "my whole thing is imitating voices to lure humans to their doom. But I never could get a reputation in Greece, so the cyclopes got all the glory for that strategy"

"And the 'turning human' thing?" I asked, stalling.

"Any intelligent monster knows how to use the mist that way. A lot of African folklore says that hyenas can turn into humans" The crocotta explained, sounding bored. "But those savage simpletons are actually talking about me. "

"Sounds like you don't really enjoy being in African folklore."

The crocotta scowled. "African stories have no place in western society. But after I kill you, half-blood, and the other two I'll finally get some recognition. The Gods will finally see how formidable my kind can be"

"Where are my friends?" I demanded.

"They're fine, for now." the crocotta smirked. "I had to keep them alive so I could mimic them. It is quite difficult to imitate the dead."

"Oh yeah?" I said raising my sword. "Well I think your impressions are about to get a whole lot better!"

"very well," the crocotta sighed, regaining its bestial form. "Enough banter. You may have the first move." he didn't need to tell me twice. I charged, but the beast just leapt over me. Then he retaliated with a swipe of one giant paw. I dodged, but its claws still caught me in my arm. They left four long deep cuts. I just didn't have enough space to maneuver in the tunnel. I gritted my teeth to work through the pain. Then, once again, I started to laugh. Just like during capture the flag, I was getting way more excitement than I had intended. Now, I might meet my prophesized gruesome end.. And yet, I couldn't remember ever having such fun. It was fantastic. The crocotta did not appreciate the humor of the situation like I did. You'd think a hyena monster could take a joke. Just like Nikki, my laughter was making it mad. But it's anger was making it sloppy. And it began to strike with greater force, using up more of its energy.

"Y-You think this is funny?" It panted. Its true voice was strained and raspy, like a sick old man's. "Is this some kind of joke to you?"

"Yep," I responded, seeing an opportunity, "And here's the punch line." At that moment I drove my sword into the crocotta's open mouth, through its pallet, and out the back of its head. The monstrosity shuddered for a moment, then disintegrated. Then I looked at my sword, still covered in gore, "Punchline, that's a good name for you" I wiped Punchline clean on my pant leg and sheathed it. Then I remembered about the girls. "Nikki! Michelle!" I called out, running down the tunnel "If you can hear me, give me some sort of sign." They must have heard me, because there was suddenly a loud thumping coming from a room to the left. I pulled it open, and there was Michelle. She had scooted over and start kicking at the door. I quickly cut her and Nikki's bonds.

"Ack! Thanks Andrew" Michelle said, ripping off her gag.

"No problem." I replied. "So what happened?"

"That thing tricked me into following it." Michelle explained. "It imitated your voice, saying you needed help. It must have been watching us since we arrived." Nikki gave a similar story "Like I told you before, monsters are drawn to half-bloods. It must have thought it won the lottery when three showed up at its door."

"Guess you were wrong about me just being a funny victim on this quest." I said smugly. "The fool ended up saving you."

"From a problem we could have avoided if we hadn't listened to you about sight-seeing." Nikki pointed out.

"Details."

"Oh! Andrew, your arm!" Michelle quickly dug through her bag and pulled out some of the ambrosia she had brought. To be honest, I had completely forgotten about the scratches. I'd been running on a combination of pure adrenaline and joy. I looked at my arm, and was surprised to see my jacket sleeve soaked in blood. Two of the Crocotta's long claws were stuck in the fabric. _Cool, my first trophy_, I thought. I quickly stuck the claws in my pocket. Then I pulled off my coat. But when I inspected the wound I found it was already healing. I guess laughter can help me heal injuries as well as provide an energy boost. However, I was still starting to feel the effects of the massive blood loss. "here, eat this." Michelle thrust the ambrosia into my hand. I did as she said, and immediately felt better. Man that's some good medicine.

"What is this place anyway?" I asked as we headed back toward the trap door.

"Probably an access tunnel" Michelle explained. "They're supposed to lead all over the Mall and to the White House. You know, so employees can travel around more easily."

"Oh no!" Nikki shouted, making me and Michelle jump. "What time is it?"

"It is…" a pit formed in my stomach as I looked at my watch. "ten minutes after our train left."


	9. Are you my mother

Missing the train turned out to be less of a setback than we thought. The pickpocket techniques Luke had taught me proved to be quite useful. In no time at all we had amassed a small fortune in tens and twenties. Unfortunately, the next train to Miami wasn't until tomorrow, and Nikki didn't want to wait that long. However, there was a train that could get us as far as Atlanta overnight that left in ten minutes. We were still so rattled from our little incident at the Smithsonian, we decided to settle for it. Michelle practically passed out the minute we sat down, laying her head on my shoulder.

"Awe isn't that adorable," Nikki teased.

"yeah, yeah," I retorted. Not my best comeback, but I was tired. "So, your mom's goddess of love. Tell me, do we make a cute couple?" The words were out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying. Like I said, tired. Plus, the question had been burning in the back of my mind for a while.

"You really want to know?" She smirked. Realizing there was no turning back now, I nodded. "Yes, you two make a great couple. I would predict a long happy romance between you, if you survive this quest."

"Cool" I said, trying to lean back without disturbing Michelle.

I was halfway to dreamland when Nikki said "You were right before, about why I didn't like your mom." I sighed and opened my eyes. Couldn't this weird personal stuff wait until after I got forty winks? "The stuff Thalia said was harmless. You know, like saying Aphrodite spends centuries in front a mirror. That she only talks to other pretty people. And would curse anybody that stained her dress or scuffed a shoe. Of course she didn't mean any of it. My mom knew they were just jokes, and she was nothing like that. The thing is, I was. I mean, almost exactly like that. You would have thought I was her daughter even before she claimed me. I was part of the popular clique. Then I came to camp and that stuff just seemed so trivial. Hearing those jokes just brought up bad memories of how horrible I used to be." When she was finished, I just smiled at her.

"So now that we have all that unpleasantness out the way we can start fresh. Hi I'm Andrew Denison." I stuck my hand. "nice to meet you." Nikki just stared at me for a moment. Then smiled and shook my hand.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too." _and bridges they'll mend… Guess that part of the prophecy is fulfilled. _I thought. With that done, we both got some much needed sleep.

As I slept, I had my second vision dream. I was back in the cavern. Sarah was still there, asleep. However, she looked weaker than before, as if the life was being drained from her.

"Lover!" The female voice from before called out. "Come take this mangy beast for a walk!"

"Why should I?" A large man stepped into my field of vision. He was hideous, about eight feet tall, and had one eye on his face. A cyclops! That's what had taken Sarah.

"Because," the woman yelled. I wished she would step into frame too. "I don't want any more 'accidents' in here. Plus, maybe you'll get lucky and it will find that half-blood." This seemed to change the cyclops' mind.

"Come here you filthy mutt!" Then the scene changed, I was now in an empty theater. After a moment I realized it was the Cadillac Theatre in Chicago. I'd been there lots of times with the tickets my mom sent me. Standing on stage was a woman with blonde hair and a friendly smile. Her presence seemed to give me a warm bubbly feeling . The woman was wearing a long satin robe. She looked like an actress getting ready in her dressing room for tonight's show.

"Whoa, if this is some sort of fantasy, just stop now. Because I think I've got a girlfriend."

"Of course not," the woman said with a smile. "That would be the worst Oedipal complex since, well, Oedipus."

"Mom?" Now I felt bad. Making dirty jokes to my own mother. "What's this about?"

"You saw how dire the situation is for Nikki's sister. I thought you might like some assistance."

"Well, what kind of assistance are we talking about? I'm guessing you can't just go get the kid yourself."

"I'm afraid not." Mom shook her head "That task is yours."

"Yeah, but have you heard that prophecy about me dying? I can't just walk into a monster's lair-"

"But you can" my mom interrupted. "That is the fool's gift."

"The what?"

"All my past children have shown some of my talents. Linguistics, quick-wittedness, but you have a skill far more rare and valuable. Haven't you wondered how you're practically invisible until you announce your presence?" I admit it had crossed my mind.

"Your friend Nikki was right about the fool being a supporting character in stories. This is because the fool is never meant to be a great warrior. Just as court jesters were allowed to insult the king. Because he is always underestimated as a bumbling oaf nobody ever gives him any notice. This was true in Shakespeare's time. It was even true when one of my first children, Aristophanes, was writing plays. Nikki was wrong in thinking this was a bad thing. Demigods usually give off a sort of energy signature that attracts monsters. The Fool's gift partially masks your energy from them. It makes you less noticeable to humans as well, allowing you to observe society undetected. But it doesn't make you any less of a hero than the others."

"That's why it took so long for Roots to find me?"

"Exactly"

"You know it can be kind of difficult to be an entertainer when you're practically invisible." I muttered.

"Not necessarily." My mom said, smiling. "You just need to be on a stage. I'm sure you've noticed how you captivate the audience at school. If it means anything, by claiming you I made you more noticeable to monsters. At least for a while.

"That's great" I said "So how am I supposed to save Nikki's sis? Somehow I think a monster would notice if anybody, demigod or not, just strutted into their home."

"That's why I'm giving you this." My mom held up a mask, the kind that just goes over your eyes. "It's a gift from me and you're Aunt Melpomene."

"Um great." I said, confused. "Now My identity will stay secret when I'm fighting beside Batman."

"The mask will let you hide just as monsters do." my mom explained.

"How?" "You'll see." Mom said, putting the mask in my pack. "But for now you have to wake up…wake up….wake-" "-Up. We're in Atlanta" I woke up to Michelle shaking me. I grabbed my pack and opened it. Right at the top was the mask from my dream. And the weirdness continues.


	10. I try out my new toy

"You saw Sarah?" Nikki was gripping me so hard her nails were cutting into my arm. "Is she alright?"

"She was alive but unconscious." I had explained my dream to her and Michelle the minute we stepped off the train.

"What about you?" Nikki turned to Michelle. "Have you been having dreams too?"

"Not of Sarah" Michelle replied, "But I have been dreaming about a cyclops on a beach somewhere. I got a really bad vibe from it. That's why I volunteered for this" Now that hurt a bit. I had kind of hoped she only came to help me.

"Must be the same one I saw." I said.

"So why are you dreaming about my sister and I'm not?" Nikki demanded, turning back to me.

"I think it's because I'm the one to go get her out..." I said. I pulled out my mom's gift. It didn't look like anything special. Just a mask, the sort of thing you would wear to a masquerade ball. "With this."

"She said it was a gift from her and Melpomene. Who's that?" I asked.

"She's the other theatre muse, the one for tragedy." Michelle said. "So obviously it has to do with acting." I just shrugged, and put the mask on. Maybe that would activate it.

"Anything happening?" The girls shook their heads. _Great_, I thought, _now I'm just a weirdo wearing a mask. If it's supposed to help me sneak past monsters, it should at least have a fake eye in the middle or something. _Suddenly, Nikki and Michelle stepped back in shock. "What?" I feared I was about to meet yet another monster. Nikki got over her shock and held up her compact mirror. Looking at my reflection, I saw that the mask was gone. Also, I had a third eye in the middle of my forehead. Disgusted, I reached up and ripped off the mask. I half expected that I wouldn't find it, and was going to be stuck this way. But my fingers found the mask's edges. "What the HELL was that?"

"Of course" Michelle said, "your mom said it would let you hide like monsters do." "So?"

"So…How do monsters hide?" I was about to say I had no idea, but then I thought about Mr. Roots, the Laistrygonian, and the crocotta.

"Mist" I said, astonished. "The mask lets me control the mist so it can fool monsters as well as humans."

"That would certainly help you sneak into a lair." Nikki said. "But why you?" I thought for a moment.

"Because they're expecting you" I explained, remembering what the dream woman had said about 'that half-blood'. "Also, I think they have Laelaps."

"What?"

"The dog Artemis was looking for. She said it will always find its prey. And you said your scent was probably on Sarah's clothes. The thing in my vision said something about a beast finding you. It would probably grab you as soon as you got close."

"Of course!" Michelle blurted out, "Remember that part of the prophecy? It said we would go where you can't yet reach. It must of meant how you couldn't get near the place Sarah is."

"At least not right away" I added, "The 'yet' would suggest you may join us later."

"Well that won't matter if we don't find a way to get there." Nikki was getting impatient.

"I'm thinking we should get some wheels." I suggested. "Either of you have any driving experience?"

"My dad's given me some lessons." Nikki replied. "He figured it's never to early to start. But how are we going to get a car?"

"Yeah, do you know how to hotwire one?" Michelle added.

"Um I was kind of hoping you, being the tech wiz, would know that." I said, sheepishly.

"oh…well I don't" Michelle looked a little embarrassed to admit that.

"Well, that may not be an issue. Now considering that time is of the essence, we should probably get something with a siren to cut through traffic" I said, cautiously. "Either of you have a problem swiping a cop car?" Nikki was fine with the idea, but it took a little convincing to get Michelle on board.

"Alright," she eventually relented. "But how are we going to do that without getting into a high speed chase?"

"I've got an idea." I smirked, "Think you have the supplies in that bag to whip up a few smoke bombs?"

After an hour of preparation we put my plan into action. It turns out that cops really do hang out at donut shops. We found one nearby and Michelle tossed one of her freshly made smoke bombs under the hood. Then we took our places.

"Ah no! What happened?" one of the cops ran out. He was your typical state trooper. Fat, with a big mustache and thick southern drawl.

"Need some help, officer?" I asked stepping out from behind a conveniently placed tow truck. I was now a six foot tall middle-aged man with a five o'clock shadow. I was wearing the stereotypical mechanic's outfit, a denim jumpsuit with an oily rag sticking the back pocket. Man, my new mask was cool! "I can take a look if you like." the cop stepped aside, nodding. I popped up the hood and pretended to look around inside. "Yep here's your problem." I said after a few moments. "you see your oil was low so that made your flux capacitor overheat" Okay I'll admit, I don't know cars. Thankfully, neither did the cop. He bought it hook, line and sinker. "I'll have to drive it back to the shop. I'll call you in a few days when its fixed." I finished.

"Um...Okay sure" the cop handed me the keys. I then handed them to Nikki who had snuck in when the cop wasn't looking.

"And I'll tell you what." I said leading the cop back towards the donut shop. "To show my support for the boys in blue, no charge. In fact-" I pulled out a twenty. "Have a baker's dozen on me!" The cop got a big smile on his face and went back inside. Once I was sure he couldn't see me anymore, I took off the mask and the glamour just melted away. Then I dashed back to the car. "Shotgun!" I called. Much to my disappointment, Michelle was already there.

"Hey, my smoke bombs are what made this possible." She reasoned with a smirk. "Now get in."


	11. the eve of battle

Before suggesting that Nikki drive, I probably should have considered whether she was a good driver. Granted, we were in a hurry to save her sister. But she was pushing that car to the limit. At least with the siren on, other cars moved aside for us. Still, I found myself praying to my mom, Hermes, Zeus, and just to cover my bases a few non-Greek gods. By some miracle we made it to Miami in just over five hours. When I saw that "welcome to Miami" sign, I may as well have been entering paradise. As long as we were out of that car.

"Well" I said, walking on legs that now felt like jelly. "We made it. Now lets check into a hotel and we'll work on a plan in the morning." Nikki started to protest, but then seemed to realize that the trip had taken a lot out of her too. We got a couple rooms right next to each other at a pretty nice resort. Of course that meant exhausting nearly all of what remained of our money. We were kind of hoping it wouldn't take more than a day to save Sarah. I bid the girls good night and went into my room. I was asleep before I hit the bed. Once more I had vision dreams

"Every day like clockwork!" the cyclops grumbled. He was being dragged around by a big dog. It was about as tall as a great dane, but looked just like a bloodhound. Clearly that was Laelaps. "As soon as you find that daughter of Aphrodite, you're going straight to the fire pit. Teach that old hag to reject me. If I can't father her children, nobody can. The girl's head will make a fine addition to my collection." I didn't understand at first why I was seeing this. Then it hit me. If it was like clockwork, that gave a time frame by which we could track him. I looked around for a clock, but found none. Then I ran up to somebody I saw checking his watch. It wasn't like I was invading his personal space in my own dream. If his watch was right, it was just after nine in the morning. Now I just needed to know where to look. Hopefully the cyclops used the same area every day. I tried to get a feel for the area. Luckily the resort we were at was nowhere to be seen. So that meant Laelaps still might not detect Nikki. I could see that they were just walking on a pier, the ocean waves crashing beneath them. There was some rundown record store nearby. It's windows were boarded up. Clearly it hadn't been open for years. There a grocery store next to it. Before I could learn more, the scene changed. I was once again looking at Sarah in her cave prison. But this time, the female creature was leaning over her. I could finally get a good look at her. From the waist up she looked like a middle-aged woman. She had dark hair which she wore in a tight bun. The rest of her body, however, was simply disturbing. It looked like she had a snake's tail in place of legs. The tail must have been over thirty feet long. Even though I knew this was just a dream, I was still terrified of her.

"Snake women" I whispered, "Why did it have to be snake women?" Then she lifted her head and I got another chill. She had no eyes, just empty sockets. And I could clearly see blood around her mouth.

"You'd better hurry, Andrew" My mother's voice suddenly called out. "It doesn't look like she'll last much longer!" I woke with a start and made a mad grab for the clock on the nightstand. It flashed 5:41 AM. I just hoped Nikki and Michelle were morning people.

I quickly ran next door and started banging away. Nikki answered. I have to say, you'd think a daughter of Aphrodite would always look good. But apparently nobody can escape bed head.

"Wha-What's up" Michelle murmured, looking up from her pillow. I stepped inside and gave them the details of my latest dream. When I finished, Nikki looked mortified. Michelle immediately ran to her bag and opened one of the pockets. She pulled out a laptop, we had sprung for internet access, and started searching for the landmarks I could remember seeing. After a couple minutes she closed the computer and looked up. "Okay, based on what you've said, the place we want is about seven miles southwest of here."

"Well let's get going" Nikki said, brushing her hair as fast as she possibly could.

"No" Michelle spoke gently. "Remember Laelaps would probably smell you coming ."

"Let him!"

"From what Andrew has seen, that cyclops won't waste any time before killing you." Michelle explained. "He sounds extremely eager. You can't just go getting yourself killed. Sarah wouldn't want that."

"Why don't we just call Artemis and tell her we found the stupid dog?" Nikki collapsed on the floor. She was close to sobbing again.

"Take it from a guy who watches a lot of action movies." I butted in "When the bad guy has a hostage, it's never a good idea to just send in the cavalry. Rarely ends well for the captive."

"Right" Michelle continued "our best bet is for me and Andrew to go down and follow the cyclops." Michelle got down next to Nikki and held her. "I know it's hard, but for you and Sarah to be safe you need to stay behind. At least for now." I got down and joined the group hug.

"Yeah," I said. "I promised you before that we'd get her back. Remember the prophecy? You'll be the force that drives us. It wasn't just talking about that fun trip from Atlanta. We are both totally dedicated to helping you, because we're you friends." I actually started to get weepy at my own pep talk. It didn't help that this might be the last time we were all together. We pulled apart. Nikki was perfectly still for a moment. Then she nodded.

"Just get her back," Michelle and I then prepared for our mission.


	12. Into enemy territory

We arrived at the rendezvous point at approximately 8:00. This gave us time to discuss what exactly we would be facing.

"It sounds like Lamia." Michelle said.

"Wasn't she that queen who killed her children or something?" I remembered reading about it in some book.

"Yes, she was compelled by Hera to kill her and Zeus's children. Then she went mad and started luring other children to her and killed them too. Hera is the goddess of motherhood, so this was her idea of vengeance" Michelle explained. "These actions turned her into a monster. Zeus took pity on her and gave her the ability to remove her eyes so she wouldn't have to see what she'd become. So now she lures children to her and drinks their blood. People used her as a sort of bogeyman to scare their kids into good behavior."

"Sounds like a good strategy to me" I joked. "If my dad ever told me an eyeless snake lady would drink my blood if I didn't act right, I'd have turned out a lot better than I did." Michelle gave me a look that seemed to ask how I could joke at a time like this. Then I heard an all too familiar voice.

"What's gotten into you, stupid mongrel?" Laelaps was straining against his leash. The cyclops was straining just as hard to maintain control of him.

"Good thing we got here early" I whispered as Michelle and I took cover behind a hotdog cart.

"He must still be able to smell Nikki!" Michelle was frantic.

"Not exactly" I said. How could we be so stupid? "He smells her on us. We've been with her long enough, of course her scent would rub off a little."

"Damn! We need to get him off our trail." Thinking quickly I asked Michelle for her spear ring. She handed it over.

"about how far does this thing's tether reach?" I asked.

"About fifteen yards. Why?"

"You ever play fetch with a dog and pretend to throw a ball, but the dog still goes after it?" "Surely you can't be serious." Michelle was looking at me like I was crazy.

"I am serious, and-" "If you say don't call me Shirley, I'll have to hurt you."

"just trying to lighten the mood." I shrugged, activating the spear. "besides, you set me up for that line." I jumped out from my hiding spot, calling to Laelaps. "hear doggie. See the stick? You want the stick boy?" By now, Laelaps' tail was wagging nonstop. "Well go get it!" I hurled the spear with all my might, right toward the edge of the pier. People around us jumped out of the way as what they perceived as a large dog dragging it's screaming owner ran past them. Then they both went over the edge, into the ocean. The dumb dog didn't even notice the spear return to my hand.

"Why would you do that?" Michelle screamed at me, tearing the spear ring off my hand. "Now we've lost Artemis's prized hunting dog and our best lead to Sarah's location."

"Relax" I said, arms raised in defense. "I'm sure Laelaps knows the dog paddle. As for finding the cave-" I led her over to the record store. "Take a look at the sign." Michelle glanced up, and her jaw almost hit the pavement. Most of the letters had fallen off. But a few remained. They read Lam I a. We quickly stepped inside. Now it was my turn to gape in disbelief. Instead of being inside a store, we were standing on the shores of a nasty looking beach. There were bones all over, half buried in the sand. Michelle got over her shock first.

"The record store must be some kind of enchanted portal." She mused. "Some versions of the story say that Lamia was a daughter of Poseidon. I guess they were right. So obviously she would want a home with an ocean view. This must be the secluded beach the prophecy mentioned." In the distance we could see the cave that Sarah must have been in. We crept over to the entrance. I put on my mask and pictured the cyclops. Within moments, I became a perfect replica of him.

"Okay," I said in his voice. "Use all that junk you brought with you to create some traps. Put them around the entrance so that once I get out with Sarah, Lamia can't follow us."

"Sure thing" Michelle didn't hide how much she hated this plan.

"Hey" I knelt down, due to my enhanced height, to look at her eye to eyes. "This will be a simple in-and-out rescue. Don't worry."

"it's not that. It's just I don't know if anything I make will be any good."

"Are you still on that?" I rolled my eye. This inferiority complex was really getting old. "Who made that spear ring? Or the smoke bombs? I've seen how brilliant you are with these gizmos. I have complete faith in your abilities." This seemed to help get her head in the game.

"You can count on me. Just be careful." I nodded and lumbered into the cave.


	13. I meet that gruesome end

Our first layover was in Philadelphia. Nikki gave me the stink eye throughout most of the trip. Michelle didn't exactly provide me with much support. She was too busy tinkering with something from her bag. I couldn't get off that train fast enough. Unfortunately, the next train wasn't for an hour. So that meant more of Nikki's lovely brand of bile. Finally, I'd had my fill of it and stepped out for some air.

I wasn't outside more than thirty seconds when I heard somebody say "What is that?". I looked over, and some woman was staring, fascinated, up at the sky. I followed her gaze. Swooping down toward the station were five gigantic eagles. As they got closer, I saw that wasn't completely accurate. From the front they looked like eagles. But they had the hindquarters of lions. Griffins! I couldn't believe it. I was seeing real live griffins. That's Awesome! However, it wasn't so awesome when I realized they were aiming for me. I reached for my saber, but the lead griffin had me pinned before I could draw it. The lady I saw before ran inside. She was batting at her head like she thought the griffins might get in her hair. It took every once of strength I had to keep the thing from ripping me to pieces. All of the sudden, I heard a whooshing noise., followed by a dull thump. The griffin turned to gold dust, and a small knife clattered to the ground. I looked up to see Nikki, already unsheathing another knife.

"Um thanks" I said, feeling conflicted about being saved by my rival. "Talk later!" Michelle yelled, dragging me to my feet. "We have four more to deal with!" She twisted a ring on her right hand, and a spear seemed to materialize out of it. The spear's head looked strangely familiar.

"I see you got the bugs worked out" I commented, recognizing the head as the piece of shrapnel that led to our first meeting. Michelle just smiled, looking proud of herself. Then a pained shriek got our minds back into the fight. Nikki had nailed one griffin in the wing with another throwing knife. It went into a tailspin until hitting the ground in a mushroom cloud of gold dust. And then there were three. Unfortunately they seemed to be learning from their friends mistakes. They stayed high above the reach of my sword and Michelle's spear. They also seemed to be flying in a zigzag pattern so Nikki couldn't get a good shot. Then, all three dived at us. We had to scatter. One knocked Nikki aside, tossing her knives all over. She quickly recovered and drew her sword. Another miscalculated, and wound up skewering itself on Michelle's spear. Lucky me, the largest one decided I looked tastiest. I slashed with my sword. But the griffin pulled up, dodging it. I could see Nikki was struggling with hers as well. Then Michelle hurled her spear at it, catching the beast in the eye. Her spear then seemed to fly back to her hand. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to have a thin tether connected to her ring. She was about to throw it again when suddenly, my griffin was filled with arrows. It's ashes blew away in the wind. "What the?" Two silver chariots, being pulled by reindeer, came out of the sky and landed in front of us. A girl, no older than twelve, stepped of the first.

"Thank you for the assistance half-bloods" she said "We'd been hunting this flock for some time." I was about to ask who she was, when I noticed Nikki and Michelle were kneeling. Then it hit me. Silver chariot, deer, arrows, hunting…

"Err. Um. No thanks is necessary Lady Artemis" I stammered, bowing. "Certainly we would have fallen if not for your excellent timing."

"My, so respectful, for a boy." Artemis smiled. Somehow I had an idea what my mom must have said about her at the roast.

"No offense Lady, but your gender's conscience isn't exactly clear. I mean there's Elizabeth Bathory, Eva Braun, my sadistic third grade teacher."

"How dare you speak to Artemis that way!" A girl shouted, stepping forth from her chariot.

"Peace, Zoe" Artemis said "I had that coming, I should know better than try to insult a child of Thalia." "How'd you know I was hers?"

"You have her smile" Artemis said, matter-of-factly. "Now I wonder if you might be able to help us with another problem."

"Okay" I said.

"No" Nikki said at the same time.

"Oh right," I'd actually almost forgotten our quest in all the excitement. "Well maybe we can help after our current objective." I looked at Nikki for permission. She nodded.

"We are looking for my hound, Laelaps" Artemis explained. "He is destined to always catch his prey. Unfortunately, he has not returned for nearly two weeks. If you should see him, please contact me." "As you wish, Lady Artemis." I said, giving her a salute. Artemis gave me a nod and then returned to her chariot.

"Good luck on your journey" she said, and then left with her hunters.

"Great, another quest." Michelle muttered.

"Don't worry" I said. "We don't have to go searching for her dog. We'll just let her know if it happens by." "Right," Nikki said, retrieving her knives. "Because our top priority is finding Sarah."

"Who? Oh your sister." I think Nikki was starting to regret saving me.

All that excitement almost made us miss our train. We got on just in time. "Man, you'd think cops or reporters, or somebody would have bugged us about what just happened." I commented as I sat down.

"They wouldn't have seen anything" Nikki said, looking at me like I was an idiot. "normal mortals can't see through the mist."

"Well that one woman saw something" I shot back. I was a little more hostile than I should have been. I kept thinking about what Nikki had said about being the fool. She was right, I didn't do anything but get saved. It was really aggravating.

"Yes, but she obviously didn't see five griffins fighting three heavily armed teenagers." Michelle clarified. "If I had to guess, she probably saw an angry flock of geese being swatted away by a few kids with sticks." She twisted her ring again, and held the spearhead in front of me. "Celestial bronze gives off mist too. That's one reason why we make our weapons from it. They're easier to carry around that way. The mist keeps mortals in the dark about gods and monsters. We can even influence it to some degree." Man! Is there an instruction manual for this life?

"That thing sure came in handy." I said, admiring Michelle's spear.

"Yeah, for once one of my inventions wasn't a complete failure." Michelle sighed, retracting it back into the ring.

"Why are you so hard on yourself?" Michelle was quiet for a moment.

"I left home about a year ago. Hephaestus had claimed me the year before. Although I had always shown signs I was his kid anyway. I was always tinkering with appliances and electronics around the house. I just kept getting the urge to build and create. The thing is, everything I built caused all sorts of problems. First I moved a few wires around and we lost power for a month. Then I built a rapid firing crossbow and put a bunch of holes in our walls. The last straw was when I set the house on fire. My step dad was furious. So rather than risk my family's safety again I went to camp. I thought being around other Hephaestus kids might help me improve. Instead, I think I've actually gotten worse."

"From what I saw of your cabin mates. I'd say they aren't exactly keen on helping you." I suggested. "And it sounds like you're stressing over past mistakes and letting them define you. Maybe all you need is to stop worrying about what might go wrong. Just focus on what you want your gadgets to do and make it happen."

"Easier said than done"

"Actually it is easy." I said. "It's not much different from when I come up with new jokes. I don't worry about bombing onstage. I just imagine a success."

"That's all there is to it?" Michelle asked.

"Well, I also imagine the audience in their underwear. But I don't think that would you very much." This cheered her up.


	14. One down, one to go

Michelle rushed over to me.

"Andrew! Can you hear me? Andrew!"

"Bag" I moaned. "Nectar." Michelle tore open my pack and pulled out a vial. She lifted my head and put the vial to my lips. I instantly started to feel better. But it wasn't happening fast enough. Before I could warn Michelle, Lamia was upon her, once again wrapping around her.

"you killed my husband!" She cried. I wanted to shout out "Hey I helped!" But decided i had best take advantage of the fact she still hadn't noticed me. This fool's gift was really coming in handy. I crawled over and grabbed Punchline. Then, with great effort, I limped up behind Lamia. I was about to deal the killing blow when my legs gave out. Instead of stabbing her in the back I only managed to graze Lamia's arm. Needless to say this got her attention. She gave a startled cry then slapped me aside with one hand. I hit the wall of the cave, hard.

"Where did you come from?" she asked, clearly confused by this new player. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. Now you'll both meet your end." _Been there, done that_, I thought. I started chuckling. "And just what is so funny?" The hag asked, beginning to constrict around Michelle. In the distance I could hear a dog barking.

"I just remembered a joke." I wheezed, "And you're the punch line" A loud bark startled Lamia., making her drop Michelle. Suddenly, Laelaps came bursting into the cave. I guess that dip in the ocean snapped him back to his senses, because he was growling at Lamia. At the end of his leash was not Artemis, but Nikki. He still recognized her scent after the spell broke. He must have figured the enemy of his enemy was dog's best friend, and led her here.

Then I remembered the prophecy. _She can't yet reach until the lost friend has escaped the secluded beach._ The lost friend was Laelaps! Now that he was out of Lamia's control it was safe for Nikki to come.

"Give me back my sister!" Nikki screamed, dropping the leash. Laelaps then lunged at Lamia. He snapped at her again and again, trying to reach her throat. She in turn was writhing her tail, trying to get a grip on him. She reached her goal first and threw Laelaps off her. Nikki then released a barrage of knives at her. She was throwing them like she was dealing cards in a poker game. Lamia, having a snake's reflexes, dodged them all with ease.

"Snares!" Michelle shouted. Instantly a number of turrets at the mouth of the cave turned toward Lamia and fired little grappling hooks. One of the traps Michelle had managed to set up before the cyclops blindsided her. In no time Lamia was thoroughly pinned down. Then she began to take a deep breath. _Oh no_, I thought through my concussed stupor, _she's going to sing Laelaps back into submission_. If she got him back on her side we were all toast. I was about to try and relay this to Nikki, when she threw her last knife. Lamia was too tangled up to dodge it. The knife buried itself in her throat. She clutched at it, making gross gurgling noises. She was so surprised that her eyes popped right out of her head. Then I assume she disintegrated just like her hubby. I couldn't say for sure because before that happened I passed out.

"You did well Andrew." Thalia said. We were back in the Cadillac Theater.

"Am I dead?" stupid question, but I still had to ask.

"Of course not" My mom laughed. "You were just overwhelmed by all the excitement. You'll wake momentarily."

"Awesome. But before I do, there's something I gotta ask."

"What?" "How could you, the Goddess of comedy, be attracted to dad, the duke of dull?" This got another laugh out of her.

"We're not complete opposites. As a literature professor he naturally shared my love of good stories. Besides that odd couple formula has always worked so well for my genre." That's my mom, ever the artist.

I awoke to Michelle and Nikki standing over me. By then the nectar had done its job so I was able to sit up.

"Wha-" I was interrupted by Michelle's lips meeting mine. Gods, how I had been waiting for this! When she pulled away I said, "Do I have to nearly die every time I want a kiss from you?" Once more I got that beautiful laugh out of her.

"So much for that gruesome end." Nikki said. She was holding Sarah, who looked like she might soon wake up.

"Actually" I pointed out, grabbing Laelaps' leash, "I did meet a gruesome end. While the face wasn't much better, the end that did land on me was most certainly awful." We all laughed as we walked out of the cave. The laughter stopped abruptly when a strange woman appeared before us.

"Well done children," she said. "I've wanted to take care of that particular problem for ages."

"So why didn't you, majesty?" I asked, figuring this must be Hera, who had originally cursed Lamia.

"Wouldn't you say I did enough already?" She replied with a sly smile. "Zeus did, he forbade me to have any more to do with his former lover. Her father, Poseidon, wasn't too pleased with me either. Lucky for me that hag made the mistake of taking a half-blood's sister"

"You knew" Nikki was fuming. "You knew where she was and did nothing?"

"We are not supposed to interfere with the lives of mortals." Hera calmly said. "Especially not the lives of another god's children."

"Did you ever consider that all this petty squabbling might be why western society abandoned you guys for single-god religions" I teased. Hera glared at me just like Nikki used to. Then she smiled thoughtfully.

"Spoken like a true fool" With that she vanished.

"What did she mean by that fool remark?" Michelle asked as we walked out of the record store.

"In some stories as well as being funny, the fool was often the only one to say the hard truths about society." I explained. "I think she was actually complimenting me."

"Sure didn't sound that way." Michelle sulked. At the time I agreed. Although I would later learn that my words did have some effect on the queen of the gods.


	15. Happy endings all around

We snuck over to an alley and I pulled out my prism. After depositing a drachma I said "Artemis" The goddess appeared in the picture. "my Lady, you will be happy to hear that we have found your hound and are ready for you come claim him." Soon after, her chariot arrived in the alley.

"Thank you, son of Thalia, daughters of Hephaestus and Aphrodite. I was so worried." Laelaps was positively delighted to be reunited with his mistress. "If there is anything I can do to repay you."

"Actually" I said, motioning Nikki to bring Sarah forward. "If it is not too much trouble, my Lady. Could you please take this girl back to her parents." "of course." Artemis took Sarah and placed her in the chariot. "I shall see to it she is safely returned." As she prepared to depart Artemis turned back to me. "There's one other thing that you have in common with your mother." "What's that?"

"You both have a knack for writing happy endings" With that she took off.

It took some convincing, but we got Michelle to face her fear of heights so we could fly back. I managed to get some money by using my mask to pose as the manager of the resort we stayed at. In my defense, the way they overcharged was a crime. I was simply acting as a modern day Robin Hood. As the plane prepared for take-off Michelle was squeezing my hand so hard I thought she might break it.

"Relax" I said soothingly, "Remember what Artemis said? I have a knack for happy endings, and obviously plane crashes don't fit that category." This seemed to calm her down, but only a little.

"I just have this irrational fear I'll end up in a brace like my dad."

"Wouldn't matter to me if you got a brace, braces, or were totally paralyzed. I would still think you were beautiful." I gave her a peck on the cheek. "By the way, those rope guns you made were brilliant."

"Really?" Michelle blushed.

"Of course. Guess my advice was good. You just had to relax and trust your skill. Then you achieved new heights, just like the prophecy said." This time she kissed me.

"Ugh." Nikki moaned from the row ahead. "you two are going to make me sick. And my mom's the love goddess." When we landed in New York a few hours later, Michelle finally relaxed her grip. Argus was waiting for us at the baggage claim. When he saw us, he just nodded his head. I think it was his own silent way of saying good job. He drove us back to camp where everyone had gathered to congratulate us. There were cheers as we each stepped out of the van. I was quickly swarmed by my fellow Hermes cabin members. Except for Luke who I could just barely see in the back of the crowd. He looked like he was jealous of me. At the time I couldn't imagine why. I would have gladly let him nearly get crushed when a cyclops sat on him in my place. Then Chiron stepped forward.

"Didn't I tell you there were other ways to interpret a prophecy?" "Yeah." I said, grinning. "Doesn't mean it still wasn't a horrible experience."

"Does that mean you're done with this way of life?" Chiron raised an eyebrow.

"Gods no! Bring on the next quest!" Sadly, no new quest came. The next few weeks were pretty uneventful. I was really bummed to hear that I had missed the winter solstice field trip to Olympus. Luke assured me that it wasn't anything special. Halfway through January, my dad sent me a letter telling me the monsters had given up looking for me. He said it would probably be best if I returned to school before I lost the whole semester. I reluctantly agreed. The last thing I would want was to have to go to summer school. On the day I was leaving, Michelle and Nikki were there to see me off.

"remember to write and I-message me as often as you can." Michelle said. I promised her that I would. Then we shared one last long kiss.

"And don't think that because we're friends now, I'll go easier on you in the games next year." Nikki said, giving me a playful punch in the arm.

"Course not" I replied. We said our good byes and I was on my way back to Chicago. Hopefully this time, school might be a bit more interesting. If not, I could always go back to camp in the summer.


End file.
